The Cotton Bowl is back, but this year, the competition takes a bit of a twist, with the 9th-ranked Missouri Tigers taking on the 7th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time in a bowl game.
Ohio State vs. Missouri
Date: December 29
Time: 8 p.m. ET
• U.S. channel — Watch on ESPN via Sling TV or Fubo
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free
Indeed, this is the first time in a long time we’ve had the opportunity to see Ohio State and Missouri face off. The teams have played each other a total of 12 times over the years, but the last time they squared off, it was 1998 and the Buckeyes took down Mizzou with a 35-14 victory.
While some wonder if this year’s game will be similarly one-sided, with Ohio State looking like a strong team coming into the Cotton Bowl, Missouri looks solid, as well. The team has an outstanding defense, with solid performance both on the line and in the secondary. On the offensive side of the ball, junior quarterback Brady Cook has been stellar, with nearly 3,200 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Look for Cook to factor into this game in a big way.
Interestingly, this game could ultimately come down to a battle of the quarterbacks. Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 3,170 yards this year, nearly matching his opponent Cook. But McCord took the top spot for touchdown passes, easily topping Cook’s 20 with 24 of his own.
In addition to quarterback prowess, Ohio State comes into the game with an exceptionally strong defense that could be another deciding factor in how the Cotton Bowl shakes out this year.
If nothing else, the Cotton Bowl promises to be a true showdown from two teams we haven’t seen play each other in a long time. And it’ll be fun to see how it goes.
Read on to find out how to watch the Cotton Bowl when it airs live on ESPN at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29.
How to watch the 2023 Cotton Bowl from anywhere
If you're traveling on Dec. 29 and just can't seem to find any platform to watch the game on, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your hometown (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for.
Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN offers superb speeds and excellent customer service, and there's even a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not happy with it.
How to watch the Cotton Bowl in the U.S.
In the U.S., the Cotton Bowl will be live on ESPN, so anyone with a cable or satellite subscription will be able to easily access the game on their provider of choice.
ESPN will also stream the game from the ESPN app and the ESPN website, though on the latter, you’ll need to log in and authenticate your cable, satellite, or live TV provider.
You can also find ESPN on several streaming platforms, including Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and others.
Sling Orange, one of our favorite streaming platforms, offers 40 channels, including ESPN. And at $40 per month, it’s nicely affordable. Another favorite service of ours, Fubo, costs $75 per month and comes with 121 channels, including ESPN.
How to watch the 2023 Cotton Bowl in Canada
The 2023 Cotton Bowl won’t be available on cable or satellite in Canada, but Fubo Canada delivers ESPN to its customers, making it a fine option up there.
For those who aren’t Fubo customers, you may want to opt for our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN, which will allow you to access another streaming service to watch the games.
How to watch the 2023 Cotton Bowl in the UK
If you’re in the U.K., the Cotton Bowl won’t be aired live, so you’ll need to opt for a VPN like ExpressVPN to access your streaming service and stream from afar.
How to watch the 2023 Cotton Bowl in Australia
The Australia-based Kayo streaming platform streams a host of college sports, including college football, and is expected to stream the 2023 Cotton Bowl live. So if you happen to find yourself in Australia during the game, sign up for the service and you’ll be good to go.
If you don't want to sign up for Kayo, you can log on to ExpressVPN and access your streaming service of choice from Australia.
